Kyambura Gorge, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda
We were in Kyambura Gorge watching chimpanzees when we witnessed something I hadn’t expected to see. A hunt for a colobus monkey.
And what an experience that was!
Not particularly pleasant for the colobus, obviously, but an extraordinary piece of wildlife behaviour to witness. This wasn’t something on a television screen. It was happening right there in front of us.
The hunt itself was fascinating, but what happened afterwards was just as interesting.
One chimp had the food. Another was bowing, calling and adopting a submissive posture, apparently trying to persuade him to share.
There was a whole social interaction going on. Who got the food, who had to wait, and how they went about asking for it.
I’m not going to pretend I understood every gesture or knew exactly where everyone fitted into the hierarchy. But watching it unfold was fascinating.
There was definitely a bit of “Please sir, can I have some more?” going on!
Look closely at the photograph and you can make out the remains of the colobus monkey, including the white fur and the red around its neck.
He was also eating leaves alongside the meat. There’s a suggestion that this may help with digestion, although I couldn’t tell you whether that’s what was happening here.
Still, perhaps even a chimpanzee appreciates a bit of greenery with his dinner!
It’s not a particularly pretty scene, but that’s nature. Not everything is cute, cuddly or conveniently arranged for a photograph.
For me, the special part was witnessing the whole encounter. The hunt, the aftermath and the interactions between the chimps.
This photograph is just one moment from something much bigger.
And it’s certainly something I won’t forget.
Behind the Photograph · A Wilder Eye